Printing mechanism for calculating machines



March 22, 1966 G. SCHENK PRINTING MECHANISM FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Filed April 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 GUSTAV SCHENK INVENTOR March 22, 1966 G. SCHENK 3,241,756

PRINTING MECHANISM FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Filed April 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 GUSTAV SCHENK INVENTOR March 22, 1966 G. SCHENK 3,241,756

PRINTING MECHANISM FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Filed April 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig.5 Fig.7

GUSTAV SCHENK INVENTOR March 22, 1966 G. SCHENK 3,241,756

PRINTING MECHANISM FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Filed April 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 GUSTAV SCHENK INVENTOR March 22, 1966 s. SCHENK 3,241,756

PRINTING MECHANISM FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Filed April 6, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 GUSTAV SCHENK INVENTOR United States Patent "ice 3,241,756 PRINTING MECHANISM FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Gustav Schenk, Darmstadt, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Amsterdam, Netherlands Filed Apr. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 357 ,400 Claims priority, application Germany, Apr. 11, 1963, M 56,461 5 Claims. (Cl. 235-60) My present invention relates to printing mechanisms for calculating machines and, more particularly, to mechanisms of this character wherein a plurality of linearly or arcuately displaceable type bars are moved into printing position, i.e., aligned along a common generatrix of 'a platen, in response to the depression of calculator keys either directly or via the intermediary of a register, totalizer, pin carriage or the like.

In general, printing calculating machines are provided with type bars or segments, both of which are collectively referred to hereinafter as type bars or elements, formed with type faces for the various numerical digits (0-9) and/or calculating symbols or letters, these type elements being shifted linearly or angularly into positions in which the desired digit faces are juxtaposed with a platen and are adapted to be displaced toward the latter for providing an impression upon a paper tape or other substrate web rest-ing against the platen. In most cases, an ink ribbon or other color-transfer layer is disposed intermediate the type faces and the paper or other web upon which the impression is to be printed. Mechanisms for displacing the type elements as described above are manifold and frequently include means, often designated as a so-called living-bridge, between digit orders whereby, in the event that the order capacity of the calculating machine is not attained during a particular printing operation, the zero values on the type bars or elements to the left of the highest-order nonzero value are prevented from being printed. The device provided for this purpose should not, however, interfere with the printing of zero values of orders to the right of the highest-order nonzero value. Expressed more simply, these devices prevent the printing of the immaterial zeros while maintaining those which are significant for the numerical expression.

Printing mechanisms incorporating such devices comprise, aside from the type elements mentioned above, one or more printing hammers adapted to effect an impact of the type face against the ribbon and tape, and detents actuatable upon movement of the next-higherorder type bar to release a lower-order type bar, which may be in its zero position, so that all of the zero values of decadic orders lower than that of the highest significant figure of the numerical expression are released for printing whereas the type bars bearing zero values to the left of the highest-order significant figure remain locked against displacement. This complicated arrangement of respective detents associated with each of the type bars and the corresponding actuating mechanism is expensive and inefficient for high-speed calculators. Difficulties are frequently encountered with these complex prior-art mechanisms when a multiplicity of lower-order zero values are to be printed as a consequence of the successive release of the detents required under these circumstances. It is apparent that these earlier systems will restrict the speed of the calculating machine with respect to the number of operations which can be performed per unit of time. Moreover, the use of individual detents and release means therefor inordinately increases the size of the printing assembly and results'in increased volume of the machine as a whole while reducing the chances of error-free operations.

, 3,241,756 Patented Mar. 22, 1966 It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide a printing mechanism for a calculating machine whereby the aforementioned disadvantages can be avoided and individual detents associated with each type bar and actuating mechanism can be dispensed with.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a printing mechanism for calculators of the character described which permits high-speed operation with a minimum possibility of error.

These objects and others, which will become more apparent hereafter, are attained in accordance with the present invention by providing a calculating machine With a printing mechanism in which an array of type elements are individually displaceable relatively to a platen assembly by suitable actuating means, and a longitudinally extending member movable transversely of the bars or type elements and parallel to the array thereof from left to right and engageable with the type element of the highest-order nonzero value to be printed. The expression from left to right is used herein to denote a direction of movement from the highest digit orders to the lowest digit orders and is not to be construed otherwise. The elongated member, according to a more specific feature of this invention, constitutes an intermediate element in the transfer of energy from the printing hammer to the type bars and can, accordingly, be shiftable against the type bars and together therewith in the direction of the platen. Alternatively, the elongated member can constitute a slide normally preventing actuation of the type bars but shiftable from the higher-order bars toward the lower-order bars for blocking actuation of bars bearing immaterial zero values. While the instant invention preferably makes use of linearly slidable type bars, segment-shaped bars are also suitable in the present system, the bars in either case forming an array generally paralleling the platen.

According to a more specific feature of this invention, the longitudinally shiftable slide or member is engageable in its left-hand extreme position, in which actuation of all of the type bars of the array may be permitted, by detent means operable by the drive and sequencing means of the calculating machine to release the slide member and permit its displacement along the array of type bars just subsequent to the actuation of the latter which juxtaposes the selected type faces of these bars with the platen along the printing line. The slide member can, therefore, be spring biased toward the right (i.e., in the direction of the lower-order bars) or can be displaceable in this direction by a suitable linkage coupled with the sequencing means. In any event, the slide member is provided with an abutment displaceable along the array of type bars in the path of movement of the latter from their zero or rest positions into a digit-printing position wherein the numerals 1 to 9, calculating symbols or any desired letters can be applied to the paper Web. Upon movement of the type bars into the path of the abutment, the latter engages the first type bar encountered in its path upon displacement of the slide member to the right. Invariably, the type bar engaged by the slide member is that of the highest order nonzero digit to be actuated. Those lower-order type bars to the right of the type bar engaged by the abutment, whether in their zero position or in normal printing position, are then driven by the actuating means to imprint the proper value upon the web.

Still another feature of the present invention resides in the provision of means, preferably coupled with the sequencing mechanism and/or the pin carriage or other register of the selected input digits, for restoring the slide member to its extreme left-hand position against the forcestoring means normally biasing the slide member to the right. This feature is particularly applicable in so-called ten-key calculating machines in which the keys of the device, upon successive depression, register the entry numerals in a pin carriage by displacement of the pins thereof from a normal position into an off-normal position, the pin carriage being stepped upon each depression of a key to enter the numerals, in the proper decadic order or column. The pin carriage of these machines is then shifted into a position wherein the off-normal pins of each decadic order are engaged by a sensing device, such as a slide, which transfers the digit value to a register or totalizing assembly for computing purposes and thence concurrently or subsequently to the type bars. In machines of this type, it is advantageous to couple the pin carriage with the slide member so that, upon displacement of the pin carriage into its transfer position (in which the digit entries are transferred to the register or printing device), the slide member is permitted to sweep the type-bar array. It is also possible to use the movement of the slide member to shift the pin carriage or to couple them both jointly or independently to the sequencing mechanism. In this case, a single operating member can be provided which is displaced by the sequencing mechanism and controls the movement of both the slide member and the pin carriage.

According to yet another feature of this invention, stop means are provided for the aforementioned slide member which, in the extreme right-hand position of the latter, prevents it from interfering with the printing of a selected number of type bars in their zero or rest positions at the lower-order end of the array. This arrangement permits the machine to print one or a plurality of zeros next to, for instance, a totality symbol, to indicate clearing of the register of the machine and its pin carriage in advance of the initiation of a subsequent calculating operation. For example, at the conclusion of a summation, the machine can print T to indicate that the registers are clear for the commencement of the subsequent operation. The stop means, therefore, engages the slide member in the path of its right-hand movement so that its abutment is effectively positioned as if it had engaged the second or higher-order zero of the array of digit-printing type bars even though this particular type bar is not shifted into the path of the abutment.

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view, taken on a plane transverse to the array of type bars and the platen axis, illustrating the essential elements of the printing mechanism of the present invention;

FIG 2 is a plan view of a calculating machine wherein the register and totalizer assemblies and the nonessential portions of the sequencing and drive means have been omitted for purposes of clarity in depicting the elements of the invention illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a type bar and the elements co-operating therewith in a digit-printing position ofthe bar;

FIGS. 4-7 are partial plan views of the type-bar array illustrating how different numerical values are printed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of a portion of the printing mechanism of a calculating machine in accordance with another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the printing mechanism of FIG. 8;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are views similar to FIG. 7 showing a type bar in different positions; and

FIG. 12 is a plan view similar to FIG. 9 with the slide member in a different position according to the invention.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, I show the calculating machine elements essential for the purposes of the present invention for a machine of the type described in my concurrently filed copending application Ser. No. 357,640, filed on April 6, 1964, entitled Pin-Carriage Assembly for Calculating Machines.

The pin carriage 10 of the machine may be constituted as described in this copending application and is shiftable via spring 11 upon guide rails 12 and 13 parallel to an array of type bars 14 by a stepping mechanism which can be of the type disclosed in any one of the Thomas 0. Mehan Patents No. 1,899,444; 2,475,510; 2,486,959; and 2,550,581 or the Oscar J. Sundstrand Patent No. 2,834,542. The mechanism for returning the pin carriage to its extreme digit-entering position (FIG. 2) is also described in these patents and does not constitute a part of the present invention. In my above-identified copending application, I point out that advantages in speeding the operation of the calculator can be gained by dispensing with the sheet-metal or rod-shaped register pins of earlier pin-carriage assemblies and constituting these pins as generally U-shaped members whose arcuate bight portions can engage a suitable cam plate for displacing the pins from their off-normal position into their normal position. The pins themselves can be provided with transverse extensions on one or both of their shanks, these extensions lying perpendicular to the fiat actuating portions of the stems of the keys engageable with the pins in the digitentering position of the carriage. Similarly, the U-shaped pins, which can be bent from spring-steel wire, preferably lie generally in planes transverse to the direction of movement of the respective transfer slides which are engageable with the off-normal pins in the transfer position of the pin carriage. As far as these elements are concerned, they have been fully described in the copending application mentioned above and do not need to be re viewed in detail herein.

It suffices to say that the rails 12 and 13 are rigidly mounted between the side walls 15 and 16 of the machine housing and extend across an array of mutually parallel transfer slides 17, only a few of which are illustrated in FIG. 2. One transfer slide 17 is, however, provided for each of the decadic orders or columns of the pin carriage 10 whose pins 18, 19 are shown respectively in their normal and off-normal positions for purposes of registering a numeral adapted to be entered into the machine. The transfer slides 17 normally held collectively in an extreme position, wherein their respective abutments 20 are out of the path of oif-normal pins 19 of the carriage 10, by a bail 21 received in the longitudinal slots 22 of the transfer slides 17. The bail is common to all of these slides and, when shifted in the direction of arrow 23, permits the slides 17 to move in that direction under the force of respective tension springs 24 which are anchored to the slides 17 at 25. The other anchorage of the springs is to the machine housing at a location not further illustrated.

Each of the transfer slides 17 is also provided with a respective guide slot 26 in which a transverse rod 27 is received, this transverse rod supporting the ends of the slides remote from their abutments 20. The slides 17 are thus longitudinally shiftable in the housing transversely to the direction of displacement of the pin carriage (arrow 28) and thus can engage with their abutments 20 the off-normal pins 19 of the pin carriage when the bail 21 is shifted in the direction of arrow 23. Each of the transfer slides 17 is provided with rack teeth 29 meshing with a respective pinion 30 rotatable about a fixed shaft 31. These pinions 30 can serve, according to the present invention, to drive further gear wheels associated with the usual number-value indicators of a register or totalizer in the manner described in my copending application mentioned above or, alternatively, the transfer slides 17 may co-operate with further pinions associated with the number register and indicator as disclosed in US. Patent No. 1,899,444 to Thomas O. Mehan. The indicator, register and totalizer mechanisms of the calculating machine are conventional in this respect and may be constituted as described in any of the above-identified patents or US. Patent No. 2,905,382 to Guido Carnacina. One pinion 30 is, however, provided for each of the decadic orders to be printed and, in the case of the machine illustrated in FIGS. 1-7, a total of seven decadic orders constitute the full capacity of the instrument.

Each of the pinions 30 is also in mesh with the rack teeth 32 of a respective type bar 14 which can be guided by conventional means in a substantially linear path to position the selected type face in line with the printing region of a platen 33. The latter is rotatable upon a shaft 34 fixed to the machine housing 15, 16 and can be driven by the paper-feed device disclosed in the aforementioned US. Patent No. 2,905,382. A ribbon 36 is interposed between the type faces 37 of bar 34 and the web 38 advanced by the platen, this inked ribbon being advanced by the mechanism described in my concurrently filed copending application entitled Ribbon- Displacing Device for the Printing Mechanism of Calculating Machines and the Like, Ser. No. 357,641, filed on April 6, 1964.

It will, therefore, be apparent that, when bail 21 is shifted in the direction of arrow 23, each slide 17 moves in this direction and the force of its respective spring 24 until it engages an off-normal pin 19 of the corresponding decadic order. The pins 19 thus constitute stops determining the position of the transfer slides 17 and thus the particular type face 37 of the type bar disposed at the printing location.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the elongated slide member 39 is shiftable along the array of type bars 14 (arrow C) from higher-order bars to lower-order bars, i.e., from right to left as viewed from above the machine in the normal position of use (FIGS. 4-7). The slide member 39 is shiftable upon a fixed shaft 40 upon which it is also rotatable in the counterclockwise sense (FIG. 1) and has a pair of lateral plates 41, 42 which bear a rod 43 engageable with the type bars 14.

The left-hand plate 41 of slide member 39 is formed with a hub 44 having a slot 45 and a ramp surface 46 co-operating with a detent 47 normally biased to the left (FIG. 2) by .a spring 48 whereby the detent 47 is receivable in the slot in the extreme left-hand position of slide member 39. The detent 47 can be pivotedfor rotation about a stud 49 and has a finger 50 engageable by an arm 51 carried by a rod 52 rotatably mounted between the housing walls and 16. This rod can be actuated by any of the sequence mechanisms disclosed in the afore-mentioned patents and serves to release the slide member 39 which is drawn to the right (i.e., in the direction of the lower-order type bars) by a spring 53 also illustrated in FIG. 4. This spring engages an arm 54 of plate 41 at a location remote from the bar 43 and is fixed to the Wall 16 of the housing at the other extremity of the spring. A simplified actuating mechanism for the detent 47 is formed by the rod 52 and its arm 51, this rod having a further arm 54 outwardly of the housing wall 16 and engageable momentarily by a cam finger 55 carried by the power shaft 53. Just after the type bars 14 have been elevated to their respective printing positions in the sequence of operation of the machine, the finger 55 carried by shaft 56 engages arm 54 to rotate the latter downwardly (arrow 57 in FIG. 2 the arm 51 being similarly displaced to momentarily release the detent 47 from the slot 45. The slide member 39 can then shift to the right (arrow C) until plate 41, constituting an abutment means of the present invention, in sweeping across the path of the type bars 14, engages the highest-order type bar raised to a numeral-printing position from its zero or rest position. For this purpose, all of the type bars 14 are provided with abutments 58 engageable with the lateral plate 41 of slide member 39 when the type bars are raised above their rest positions.

Immediately after the slide member 39 has been shifted into engagement with one of the type bars, the hammer 59 of the mechanism is rotated in the direction of arrow B (i.e., clockwise in FIG. 1) on the power shaft 56 to cam the bar 43 of the slide member 39 against the type bars 14 engaged thereby to displace these type bars into engagement with the ribbon 36 and the paper tape 38 to imprint upon the latter an impression of the type faces of those keys in printing position as well as those zeros to the right of the type bar engaged by plate 41. After completing its rotation, the hammer 59 is prepared to actuate the type bars once again, the drive shaft 56 then terminating its rotation in the conventional manner. The drive shaft 56 can be coupled with the motor 60 in the manner described in any of the aforementioned U.S. patents and can be operated by a motor bar of the type illustrated in US. Patent No. 2,905,382.

Prior to a discussion of the operative sequence of the printing mechanism in detail with further reference to FIGS. 3-7, it may be noted that the array of type bars includes generally a type bar S at the extreme right-hand end of the array carrying the customary calculating symbols. These symbols may be indicia for summation, subtraction, multiplication, division, total, subtotal or any other which may be required in the manner described in the US. Patent No. 2,834,542 of Oscar J. Sundstrand and may be coupled with the registers and totalizers in a similar manner.

Referring now to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the detent 47 is lodged within the slot 45 of the hub 44 and that the spring 53 is tensioned with all of the seven type bars 14 in their rest or zero positions and the slide member 39 in its extreme left-hand position. When it is desired to enter the numeral 543 into the calculator, the 5 key of the keyboard is depressed and, in the manner described in my first-mentioned copending application, the corresponding pin of the selected decadic-order column of the pin carriage 10 is depressed and the pin carriage itself advanced by one column. Depression of the 4 key results in the displacement of the corresponding pin of the pin carriage into its off-normal position and depression of the 3 key acts similarly with the pin carriage being stepped after entry of each digit. This mechanism is conventional and fully described in the Thomas O. Mehan patents referred to above.

Upon depression of the motor bar to initiate the calculating sequence, the pin carriage 10 is displaced into a position in which its off-normal pins are engageable by the corresponding transfer slides 17. A suitable mechanism for this displacement is disclosed in US. Patent No. 1,899,444. Continued rotation of the drive shaft 56 results in displacement of the bail 21 in the direction of arrows 23 to release the transfer slides 17. The movement of the bail 21 in this manner may be carried out via a cam on the drive shaft 56. This cam 65 is engageable by a cam follower 66 of a rocker lever 67, whose long arm is articulated at 68 to a link 69 connected with the bail 23. The transfer slides 17 move in the direction of arrow 70 (FIGS. 1 and 3) until their respective abutments 20 engage theoff-normal pins 19 of the respective columns. This movement of the transfer slide is translated via the respective pinions 30 into a cor-' respondingmovement of the type bars 14 (see FIG. 3) until their selected type faces are properly aligned along a common generatrix of the platen 33. This elevation of the bars'14 to print the numeral 543 along with a summation character via the symbol key S is indicated in FIG. 5. Immediately after the type bars 14 have been so displaced, the detent 47 is withdrawn from the slot 45 and the slide member 39 released'so that it, under the action of spring 53, is shifted in the direction of the arrow C (FIG. 5) until the plate 41 engages the highest-order nonzero type bar i.e. the 5;bar; Rotary actuation of the slide member 39 to drive the type bar and those type bars to the right thereof against the ribbon and paper tape is then effected by the hammer 59 carried by the drive shaft 56. The entry 543+ is thus applied to the tape. The timing of the printing stroke can be effected in the manner described in U.S. Patents No. 2,834,542 and 2,905,382.

In FIG. 6, there is illustrated the "arrangement of the printing mechanism for the entry of the numerical value 5003000 on the tape together with a suitable symbol from the type bar S. Since this seven-digit number constitutes the full printing capacity of the machine, upon release by the detent 47 the plate 41 of the slide member 39 shifts to the right only sufliciently to engage the last or highest-order type bar 14 at the left-hand end of the array. The hammer 59 in this case drives all of the type bars against the ribbon and the paper tape.

In FIG. 7; I show the circumstance in which the motor bar is depressed in order to indicate that theregisters and totalizers are clear for the commencement of a new calculating operation. A stop member 70, in the form of a sleeve surrounding axle 40 of slide member 39, is pro-. vided to terminate the movement of the slide member at a location in which one, two or more of the type bars at the lower-digit-order end of the array will be actuated for printing although no higher-digit-order nonzero-value is to be printed. Thus, a symbol from type bar S and one or more Zeros can be printed to indicate that the registers, totalizers and pin carriage are clear for the commencement of a new calculating operation. In the case illustrated, the plate 42 of the slide member 39 engages the stop 70 in such manner that the unitsand tens-type bars are actuated by the hammer 59. If the symbol carried by the bar S is a T to indicate totality, the printed result will be 00 T. The rapid movement of the slide member 39 in this manner markedly increases the rate at which the machine can be cleared and an indication of such clearance provided.

At .the conclusion of the printing operation, the slide member 39 must again be returned to its rest (i.e., extreme left-hand) position as indicated in FIG. 4. For this purpose the restoring lever 71 is provided as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The lever 71 is rotatable about a fixed pin 72 in the machine housing and has an arm 73 adapted to bear upon the plate 42 of'the slide member 39 when the lever 71 is rotated in the counter-clockwise sense. The lever 71 has a short arm 74 adapted to be shifted in the direction of arrow F by a suitable mechanism coupled with the sequence and drive means and adapted to urge the lever in the counterclockwise sense at the conclusion of the printing operation. This mechanism can include a movable member 75 adapted to entrain the short arm 74 of lever- 71 in the direction of arrow F against the force of a storing spring 76. For this purpose, the member 75 is swingably mounted on a pin 77' having a cam follower 78 bearing upon a cam 79 carried by the drive shaft 56. As lever 7-1 displaces .the slide member 39 in the direction of arrow 80, ramp 46 earns the detent 47 into the slot 45 whereby the slide member 39 is held again in. its left-hand position until the operation sequence is repeated. Spring 76 then draws the member 75 out of engagement with the lever 71.

According to a more particular feature of the present invention, the lever 71 simultaneously serves as the means for restoring the pin carriage 10 to its original or restposition in which the off-normal pins 19 are restored to their normal positions and the pin carriage is prepared for the entry of a new numerical value. Thus the lever 71 can be provided with a further arm 81 adapted to bear upon a stud 82 carried by the pin carriage. It is also possible to couple the arm 81 with the pin carriage in such manner that the stud 82 acts upon the lever 71 when the pin carriage is displaced .to its rest position by conventional' mechanism of the type disclosed in the above-ident-ified Mehan and Sundstrand patents.

In. this case, the

return movement of the carriage efl'ects restoration of the slide member 39 to its extreme left-hand position.

In FIGS. 8-12, I show another embodiment of the present invention wherein similar parts are indicated with' reference numerals corresponding to those employed in FIGS. 1-7 but with a 1 in the hundreds place before the corresponding numeral. Essentially, this embodiment differs from that of FIGS. 1-7 only in that the longitudinally shiftable member is not employed as an intermedi-. ate in the transfer of energy to the various type bars, but is, instead, a locking device preventing actuation of type bars of a decadic order higher than the highest-order; nonzero-digit type bar.

The transfer slide 117 of this embodiment again is pro-. vided with an elongated slot 126 cooperating with a stationary guide rod 127 and is actuated via a bail as de-. scribed with reference to FIGS. 1-7. The rack teeth 129. of each transfer slide meshes with a pinion gear 130, rotatable about the common shaft 131. The type bars 114 are provided with rack teeth 132 in mesh with the respec-. tive pinions and at the lower ends of the type bars which are also provided with type faces 137 as previously de scribed. The upper half of each type bar 114 is formed with an elongated slot 180 in which a stud 181 of a bellcrank tripping element 159 is received. The tripping elements 159 are pivoted for rotation in the direction of arrow E about a shaft 156 which can be coupled with the motor shaft via a conventional cam and is adapted to oscillate angularly as will be described in greater detail hereinafter. The tripping elements 159 are each provided. with respective springs 182 normally urging the elements in the clockwise sense as viewed in FIG. 8.

Referring now, in addition, to FIGS. 9-12, it can be seen that the slide member 139 is shiftable along a fixed, traverse 140 mounted on the sides 115, 116 of the machine. A tension spring 153 engages the projection 154 of the slide member 139 and urges it in the direction of arrow H against a releasable detent 147 which can be, actuated in the manner described with reference to the detent 47 of FIGS. 1-7. The slide member 139 is, guided in its path parallel to the array of type bars 114 and parallel to the platen 133 by a pair of screws 183, 184 mounted on .the traverse 140 and received in respective elongated slots 185, 186 of the slide member 139. The slide member is also, provided with an abutment 141 shiftable from left to right across the array of type bars 114 and engageable with abutment portions 158 of .the type bar when the latter are disposed in the path of the abutment direction of the platen 133. The detent 147 co-operates,

with a shoulder 145 of thepslide member 139 and thus has the functions of the slots 45 of the FIGS. 1.7, a ramp being provided on a trailing edge of the slide member to cam .the detent 147 in the direction of; arrow G during the restoring movement of the, slide member. As is the case with the detent of FIGS. 1-7, the detent 147 can be held in its engaged position by a suitable spring Each of the tripping elements 159 is provided with a segmental cutout 189 in which is received a key affixed to the shaft 156 and forming a lost motion connection with the radial walls, of the cutout 189. When the shaft 156 with its key 190 are in their position illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10, the respective tripping elements 159 are maintained in their rest positions and the springs 182 are tensioned. When it is desired to print the numerical value entered into the calculator, the shaft 156 is rotated in the direction of arrow E via a suitable cam as mentioned earlier. Thus tripping elements 159 which are not engaged by the blocking portion 187 of the slide member- 139, can swing in the direction of arrow B and drive their respective type bar against an inked ribbon 136, a paper tape and the platen in the direction of arrow A (FIGS. 11 and 12). All of the type bars to the right of the highest-order nonzero type bar and the latter are thus printed while the type bars to the left thereof remain unactuated.

The slide member 139 is returned to its rest poisiton (FIG. 9) by a double-arm lever 171 similar to the lever 71 of FIGS. 1-7, this lever having an arm constituting the restoring means of the present invention as well as the link means for effecting joint movement of the pin earriage and the slide member. From FIG. 12 it can be seen that the screw 183 also constitutes a stop means adapted to co-operate with the wall 195 of slot 186 in an extreme right-hand position of the slide member so that, for example, the two lower-order digit-printing bars 114 in their rest or zero position and a symbol bar 8' will be actuated to indicate the clearing of the register and pin carriage.

The invention as described and illustrated is believed to admit of many modifications and variations Within the ability of persons skilled in the art. All these modifications are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A printing mechanism for a calculating machine, comprising a platen, an ordinal series of type bars extending along said platen, said type bars each having a plurality of digit type faces and adjustable to locate said type faces selectively at a printing line position, actuating means for adjusting said type bars, a selector carriage shiftable from a digit entry position to a position to control operation of said actuators, an elongated member extending parallel to said platen, said member being longitudinally shiftable along said type bars and having an abutment, means for urging said member for shifting along said type bars from higher to lower orders, detent means for holding said elongated member against said urging means with said abutment to the left of the highest order type bar, means for releasing said detent means to permit said member to be shifted to engage said abutment with the highest order type bar adjusted to a non-zero digit printing position, means cooperating with said memher to effect printing operation of said highest order adjusted type bar and all lower order type bars, means for restoring said member to engagement with said detent means, and link means for coupling said member and said carriage for joint shifting movement.

2. A mechanism as defined in claim 1 wherein said machine is provided with drive means for effecting a calculating cycle, said mechanism further comprising means coupling said restoring means with said drive means.

3. A mechanism as defined in claim 2 wherein said restoring means constitutes part of said link means.

4. A printing mechanism for a calculating machine, comprising a platen, an ordinal series of type bars extending along said platen, said type bars each having a plurality of digit type faces and adjustable to locate said type faces selectively at a printing line position, actuating means for adjusting said type bars, hammer means, an interponent comprising an elongated member extending parallel to said platen between said hammer means and said type bars, said interponent being longitudinally shiftable along said type bars and having an abutment nor mally located to the left of the highest order type bar, and means for shifting said interponent along said type bars from higher to lower orders to engage said abutment with the highest order type bar adjusted to a non-zero digit printing position, said interponent thereupon being operable by said hammer means to effect printing operation of said highest order adjusted type bar and all lower type bars.

5. A mechanism as defined in claim 4, including means for rockably mounting said interponent on an aXis parallel to said platen and wherein said hammer means is operable to rock said interponent in a printing operation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 420,619 2/1890 Burroughs 235-58 916,589 3/1909 Pike 235-60 1,240,256 9/1917 Quentill 23558 1,660,638 2/1928 Warner 10193 LEO SMILOW, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PRINTING MECHANISM FOR CALCULATING MACHINE, COMPRISING A PLATEN, AN ORDINAL SERIES OF TYPE BARS EXTENDING ALONG SAID PLATEN, SAID TYPE BARS EACH HAVING A PLURALITY OF DIGIT TYPE FACES AND ADJUSTABLE TO LOCATE SAID TYPE FACES SELECTIVELY AT A PRINTING LINE POSITION, ACTUATING MEANS FOR ADJUSTING SAID TYPE BARS, A SELECTOR CARRIAGE SHIFTABLE FROM A DIGIT ENTRY POSITION TO A POSITION TO CONTROL OPERATION OF SAID ACTUATORS, AN ELONGAGED MEMBERS EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID PLATEN, SAID MEMBER BEING LONGITUDINALLY SHIFTABLE ALONG SAID TYPE BARS AND HAVING AN ABUTMENT, MEANS FOR URGING SAID MEMBER FOR SHIFTING ALONG SAID TYPE BARS FROM HIGHER TO LOWER ORDERS, DETENT MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID ELONGATED MEMBER AGAINST SAID URGING MEANS WITH SAID ABUTMENT TO THE LEFT OF THE HIGHEST ORSER TYPE BAR, MEANS FOR RELEASING SAID DETENT MEANS TO PERMIT SAID MEMBER TO BE SHIFTED TO ENGAGE SAID ABUTMENT WITH THE HIGHEST ORDER TYPE BAR ADJUSTED TO NON-ZERO DIGIT PRINTING POSITION, MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID MEMBER TO EFFECT PRINTING OPERATION OF SAID HIGHEST ORDER ADJUSTED TYPE BAR AND ALL LOWER ORDER TYPE BARS, MEANS FOR RESTORING SAID MEMBER TO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID DETENT MEANS, AND LINK MEANS FOR COUPLING SAID MEMBER AND SAID CARRIAGE FOR JOINT SHIFTING MOVEMENT. 